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Federal Election campaign update no 5

Dear valued colleague,

Hello from the final week of election campaigning!

The last two weeks have seen some great work by many of you to get domestic, family and sexual violence on the federal election agenda, and there have been some commitments made in response, especially on addressing systems abuse and supporting recovery and healing for victim-survivors.

But it is not enough. There is too little real funding allocated given the size of the problem – this is laid out starkly through The Australia Institute’s analysis of major parties’ funding priorities. And too much focus on the criminal justice system, and not enough on intervening earlier to reduce harm and end violence.

The commitments made so far amount to a grab-bag of dot-points that won’t end at its source. We need a coordinated, integrated approach to ending men’s use of violence. In particular, the Coalition’s plan is dangerously lacking in detail, especially on funding commitments.

The Labor Party has committed to:

  • Action on systems-enabled financial abuse (bipartisan commitment)
  • $85 million to trial a domestic violence threat assessment model
  • $8.6 million to the Innovative Perpetrator Response (bipartisan commitment in principle, no funds committed by the LNP)
  • $21.4 million to trial specialist sexual assault legal services
  • $80 million to child-centric trauma responses
  • $20m for a trauma recovery centre on NSW’s Central Coast (bipartisan commitment)

The Liberal National Party coalition committed to:

  • Implement a National Domestic Violence Register
  • Make technology facilitated abuse an offence
  • Fast track more property settlements in the Family Court
  • Focus on online safety
  • Expand the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program
  • Continue the Leaving Violence Program
  • Increase crisis helpline support for victims and survivors
  • Support more domestic violence awareness training
  • Recycle mobile phones
  • Launch a Royal Commission into sexual abuse in First Nations communities
  • Match many of Labor’s commitments

We want politicians of all stripes to use the final week of the campaign to show us they are prepared to do things differently and stop violence at its source – the men using violence.

Stopping violence at its source looks like:

  • Everyone knows how to identify people using violence and connect them with the experts who know how to help them change their behaviour
  • All communities have access to quality, appropriate and available services focused on ending domestic, family and sexual violence
  • Systems and services hold those using violence accountable instead of placing unnecessary burdens on victims and survivors
  • All prevention, early intervention, crisis, support and recovery and healing services are funded so no one needing help is turned away

We need strong systems and services to stop violence and we need a strategic and coordinated approach to get us there.

We need a National Strategy focused on stopping men using domestic, family and sexual violence.

We must end violence for stronger families and safer communities. Doing so will take all of us. We are stronger together when we collaborate, share what we know and advocate together for a solutions-focused approach to ending violence.

Next steps:

Want more?

Not long to go – let’s continue to push over these last few days everyone!

Thank you.

The team at NTV